After beginning the 1926-27 season as the Toronto St. Patrick’s and then finishing the campaign as the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team was looking for a fresh start in 1927-28. As we enjoy this season’s opening game against the Winnipeg Jets, we look back at the first season opener for the Toronto Maple Leafs: November 15, 1927.

“Pro hockey fans will be re-introduced to the Toronto team this fall,” reported the Toronto Daily Star on September 27, 1927. “The jersey will be banded blue and white with a large maple leaf on the breast. The words ‘Toronto Maple Leafs’ appear in blue letters on the maple leaf.” In fact, once the season began, the Maple Leafs became the first NHL team to feature two different sweaters. They introduced a blue sweater with a white maple leaf on the chest as well as a white sweater with a blue maple leaf on the chest. Part of the rationale was to avoid confusion with other NHL teams sporting blue sweaters, namely the New York Americans and New York Rangers.

Training camp for the Maple Leafs opened on October 22, and players were quickly reminded that Conn Smythe was, in the words of the Toronto Daily Star, “a real taskmaster.” Players participated in softball and soccer games in an area along the Don Valley, followed by relay races and then a four-kilometre run back to the Arena Gardens, their home arena, located on Mutual Street just a stone’s throw from the location of their future home, Maple Leaf Gardens.

The first season-opener for the Toronto Maple Leafs took place against the New York Rangers at the Arena Gardens on November 15, 1927. The game had great significance for Conn Smythe.

Following the First World War, Conn Smythe returned to Toronto and started a sand and gravel business, but hockey was never far from his heart. Despite having a toddler at home (his son Stafford, later to own the Maple Leafs), Smythe coached the University of Toronto varsity team. It was through his coaching of this team that he became involved in the NHL. The Varsitys regularly traveled to Boston for games against colleges from that area. In 1926, Boston Bruins’ owner Charles Adams recommended Smythe to Colonel John S. Hammond, who was looking for someone to build the newly awarded New York Rangers franchise. Smythe was hired to assemble a team, which he would then manage. But on October 27, 1926, just before the Rangers had even played a single regular season game, Hammond fired Smythe in favour of Lester Patrick.

Although no longer employed by the Rangers, Smythe was invited to attend the team’s opening contest in Madison Square Garden, an invitation he nearly turned down because he felt that the Rangers had short-changed him. Colonel Hammond had paid Smythe $7,500 to settle his contract, but Smythe felt he was owed $10,000. At the insistence of his wife, Smythe travelled to New York and attended the opener in the owner’s private box. While there, Smythe made his feelings known, and Hammond begrudgingly paid him the extra $2,500.

On the return to Toronto, Smythe visited Montreal, and bet the $2,500 on a football game between Toronto and McGill, and turned his severance into $10,000. That money was used by Smythe as his part of the $200,000 purchase price of the Toronto St. Patrick’s. With a consortium of heavyweight business leaders, including mining magnate J.P. Bickell, Smythe and his partners bought the Toronto St. Patrick’s and renamed them the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 1927-28 season opened with the Maple Leafs roster including goaltender John Ross Roach, defenceman Hap Day and Art Duncan, and forwards Ace Bailey, Bill Carson, George Patterson (who had scored the first-ever goal for the Maple Leafs) and Joe Primeau. Day had been named captain, and with the responsibility was given an extra $500 on his contract.

Leafs Nation (early version) was excited. “The local fans have a team this year that they are going to be able to support,” explained the Toronto Daily Star. “It should be one of the best openings that professional hockey has ever had in this city.”

In a custom that continues to this day, the 48th Highlanders marched onto the ice surface and “dispensed pleasing music before the game and during the rest periods (intermissions).”

As the skirl and drone of the 48th Highlanders concluded, The Honorable W.D. Ross, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, marched to centre ice to perform the ceremonial faceoff between Bill Carson of the Maple Leafs and Bill Cook of the Rangers.

The warm Toronto air and the frigid arena ice played havoc with the game, which was played with a fog enveloping the ice surface. Both Roach in the Toronto goal and Lorne Chabot manning the net for New York complained about the lack of visibility when pucks were sent their way. The problem proved so challenging that players on both sides skated around the rink together between periods in an effort to clear the fog from above the ice.

The Maple Leafs fell to the Rangers 4-2 that evening, with the Toronto Daily Star reporting that “the locals (Leafs) were not lacking in aggressiveness but their team play was very faulty, they did not pass the puck much and when they did, the passes usually went wrong.” Captain Hap Day was announced as the best player on the ice for Toronto.

The Maple Leafs finished the season in fourth place in the NHL’s Canadian Division, missing the playoffs for the third straight season. It would be another 80 years before the team missed the playoffs three consecutive times again.

The New York Rangers, meanwhile, finished second in the American Division, and went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring, just their second year of existence, and largely with the players that Conn Smythe had brought to the team.

Although 90 years apart, there are some vestiges of that first season-opener that remain. Although this 2017-18 NHL season opens for the Maple Leafs in Winnipeg, the home opener on Saturday, October 7 will again see the New York Rangers facing the home team, and as always, the 48th Highlanders will be on hand to start the proceedings.

We can only hope that the results will be different than that game 90 years ago.

TRIPLE CHINS

In September of 1944, the hockey world briefly focused its attention on Lucknow, Ontario, as three brothers from the remarkable Chin family amazed and delighted fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Charles and Rose Chin, who had settled in Lucknow and ran Chin’s Restaurant on the main street of the small town, had fourteen children. While eleven of them played hockey at a competitive level, three stood head and shoulders in ability above not only their other siblings but all other hockey players in the region: Albert, George and William Chin.

The three boys, just a year apart in age, were phenoms from an early age. Bill was the eldest at 17, Ab was 16, and George, just 15. In August 1944, Detroit Red Wings scout Freddie Cox admitted that he had the Chin boys on his radar. “The three Chin boys from Lucknow are going to surprise everyone this winter,” he told the Toronto Daily Star. “They’ll be ready for the big time before long.”

When Ed Bickle, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, learned that the Red Wings were interested in the Chins, he “blew a gasket.” But, in fact, Hap Day already had the boys scouted. Ab (Albert) and Bill were already on the Leafs negotiation list, while 15-year-old George was too young to have on the list. Incomprehensibly, all three boys were invited to the Maple Leafs training camp in Owen Sound prior to the 1944-45 season. The three boys, younger and smaller than any of the other hopefuls at camp, made their presence known, attracting great attention from the veterans and the management. They were invited to play in the three Blue and White games, in which the roster was divided in two, with Joe Primeau’s Blues facing Harold Ballard’s Whites, with proceeds going to the local Kiwanis Club.

“Of the ones attracting the most attention in the Owen Sound and St. Catharines games have been the three Chinese brothers, Albert, George and Bill Chin from Lucknow, Ontario. Although on the small side and several steps away from top-flight hockey, the lads have struck a popular chord with folks following the Leafs in training this fall,” wrote the Toronto Star. “Just to keep his record straight, (goaltender Frank) McCool finished off the night’s work by robbing 15-year-old George Chin of a score in the dying seconds of the third period. It was the parting shot of the Chinese line from Lucknow that made a big hit with the crowd with its clever passing, good stickhandling and aggressiveness.”

Bobby Hewitson of the Toronto Telegram noted, “The fans got a great kick out of the three Chin boys and their performance. They were given lots of use and worked hard, but could not produce a goal, though that would have pleased the crowd of 12,105 paid, one of the best attendances ever to see these annual games.”

The boys, who were disappointed but not surprised to be sent home, returned to their Lucknow juvenile team, and continued to tear up the league. “George Chin, a 15-year-old who laughed his way through Leafs training camp last fall, scored all 12 of his juvenile team’s goals at Kincardine Saturday night,” reported The Star, who then chided the Leafs management by adding, “Hadn’t we better send for him, Hap?” Two days later, after George scored six goals in his next game and his brothers added four, The Star again called for the Leafs head scout to sign the boys. “Maybe Squib Walker should hustle out to Lucknow and scout the kids all over again as a Leafian front line threat!”

The boys were so popular in their hometown that fans, who drove in from all over southern Ontario to see the Chins, had to arrive early in order to get a seat. “The walls of the rink bulge with customers who come from all points of the compass.” Then, after the games, the brothers quickly dressed and hurried over to their family restaurant in order to sign autographs. “They occupy a front table and greet their worshippers,” wrote The Star. “Often, there’s a lineup to get inside as well as to get autographs.”

None of the boys ever did get to join the Maple Leafs, although George did go on to a terrific hockey career. He joined the Windsor Spitfires in their inaugural junior season (1946-47; Bill went to training camp but was cut), and then joined the Chatham St. Clair Maroons, who won the Turner Cup as International Amateur Hockey League (IAHL) champions in 1949-50. The team was entered into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame en masse in 2002. George later earned a scholarship to play hockey at the University of Michigan while studying geology, and in 1951-52, the Wolverines won the NCAA championship, with George earning All-American selection at forward for his play during the season and then as part of the NCAA Frozen Four First Team All-Tournament Team. The Wolverines won the NCAA championship in 1952-53, and again George was selected as an All-American for the season, and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team. Chin joined the Nottingham Panthers of the British Hockey League (BHL) in 1954-55, and completed his post-graduate studies at Nottingham University.

But the hockey story doesn’t end there. The Chin’s Chinese restaurant included a larder in the basement, and the floor, which often had a thin layer of water on it, froze in the winter, allowing the family and friends to play spirited hockey games using a ball. One of those young friends was Paul Henderson, who learned to play the game with the Chin boys. In fact, patriarch Charlie Chin provided Henderson with his first hockey equipment. Ab Chin later coached Paul Henderson on his way to an NHL career.

George Chin was forced to stop his weekly skating excursions a few years ago due to a stroke that compromised his ability to skate, but looks back fondly on his hockey career, including the autumn of 1944 when he and his brothers got the opportunity to wear the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In September of 1944, the hockey world briefly focused its attention on Lucknow, Ontario, as three brothers from the remarkable Chin family amazed and delighted fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Charles and Rose Chin, who had settled in Lucknow and ran Chin’s Restaurant on the main street of the small town, had fourteen children. While eleven of them played hockey at a competitive level, three stood head and shoulders in ability above not only their other siblings but all other hockey players in the region: Albert, George and William Chin.

The three boys, just a year apart in age, were phenoms from an early age. Bill was the eldest at 17, Ab was 16, and George, just 15. In August 1944, Detroit Red Wings scout Freddie Cox admitted that he had the Chin boys on his radar. “The three Chin boys from Lucknow are going to surprise everyone this winter,” he told the Toronto Daily Star. “They’ll be ready for the big time before long.”

When Ed Bickle, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, learned that the Red Wings were interested in the Chins, he “blew a gasket.” But, in fact, Hap Day already had the boys scouted. Ab (Albert) and Bill were already on the Leafs negotiation list, while 15-year-old George was too young to have on the list. Incomprehensibly, all three boys were invited to the Maple Leafs training camp in Owen Sound prior to the 1944-45 season. The three boys, younger and smaller than any of the other hopefuls at camp, made their presence known, attracting great attention from the veterans and the management. They were invited to play in the three Blue and White games, in which the roster was divided in two, with Joe Primeau’s Blues facing Harold Ballard’s Whites, with proceeds going to the local Kiwanis Club.

“Of the ones attracting the most attention in the Owen Sound and St. Catharines games have been the three Chinese brothers, Albert, George and Bill Chin from Lucknow, Ontario. Although on the small side and several steps away from top-flight hockey, the lads have struck a popular chord with folks following the Leafs in training this fall,” wrote the Toronto Star. “Just to keep his record straight, (goaltender Frank) McCool finished off the night’s work by robbing 15-year-old George Chin of a score in the dying seconds of the third period. It was the parting shot of the Chinese line from Lucknow that made a big hit with the crowd with its clever passing, good stickhandling and aggressiveness.”

Bobby Hewitson of the Toronto Telegram noted, “The fans got a great kick out of the three Chin boys and their performance. They were given lots of use and worked hard, but could not produce a goal, though that would have pleased the crowd of 12,105 paid, one of the best attendances ever to see these annual games.”

The boys, who were disappointed but not surprised to be sent home, returned to their Lucknow juvenile team, and continued to tear up the league. “George Chin, a 15-year-old who laughed his way through Leafs training camp last fall, scored all 12 of his juvenile team’s goals at Kincardine Saturday night,” reported The Star, who then chided the Leafs management by adding, “Hadn’t we better send for him, Hap?” Two days later, after George scored six goals in his next game and his brothers added four, The Star again called for the Leafs head scout to sign the boys. “Maybe Squib Walker should hustle out to Lucknow and scout the kids all over again as a Leafian front line threat!”

The boys were so popular in their hometown that fans, who drove in from all over southern Ontario to see the Chins, had to arrive early in order to get a seat. “The walls of the rink bulge with customers who come from all points of the compass.” Then, after the games, the brothers quickly dressed and hurried over to their family restaurant in order to sign autographs. “They occupy a front table and greet their worshippers,” wrote The Star. “Often, there’s a lineup to get inside as well as to get autographs.”

None of the boys ever did get to join the Maple Leafs, although George did go on to a terrific hockey career. He joined the Windsor Spitfires in their inaugural junior season (1946-47; Bill went to training camp but was cut), and then joined the Chatham St. Clair Maroons, who won the Turner Cup as International Amateur Hockey League (IAHL) champions in 1949-50. The team was entered into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame en masse in 2002. George later earned a scholarship to play hockey at the University of Michigan while studying geology, and in 1951-52, the Wolverines won the NCAA championship, with George earning All-American selection at forward for his play during the season and then as part of the NCAA Frozen Four First Team All-Tournament Team. The Wolverines won the NCAA championship in 1952-53, and again George was selected as an All-American for the season, and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team. Chin joined the Nottingham Panthers of the British Hockey League (BHL) in 1954-55, and completed his post-graduate studies at Nottingham University.

But the hockey story doesn’t end there. The Chin’s Chinese restaurant included a larder in the basement, and the floor, which often had a thin layer of water on it, froze in the winter, allowing the family and friends to play spirited hockey games using a ball. One of those young friends was Paul Henderson, who learned to play the game with the Chin boys. In fact, patriarch Charlie Chin provided Henderson with his first hockey equipment. Ab Chin later coached Paul Henderson on his way to an NHL career.

George Chin was forced to stop his weekly skating excursions a few years ago due to a stroke that compromised his ability to skate, but looks back fondly on his hockey career, including the autumn of 1944 when he and his brothers got the opportunity to wear the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hockey was in the news around the world this week, but I discovered a story written by a British journalist that was off the beaten path from most of the stories I read. Alisdair Reid, a columnist in the London Sunday Times, wrote, ‘Is it a coincidence that the country which produced the inexplicably popular Celine Dion should also come up with a sport that is almost unwatchable? If you actually see the puck, you might see the point, but it zips across the ice invisible to the naked eye, the whirling antics of men wrapped in bedspreads stop to have a fight, and all are sent off.’

Two different cultures; two different experiences. The biggest fan I know (other than you, the readers of ‘A Fan For All Seasons,’ of course), is my British-born and -raised friend Tim Burgess, who moved here to Canada seven years ago and adopted hockey as his sport of choice. In fact, while writing this, Tim e-mailed me on a flight from London to Toronto, asking me for results of last night’s contest against the Canadiens. But Tim also loves cricket, and not only do I not understand it, but I have no desire to understand it.

Sitting up in the purple section at Leaf games is always a unique experience. We like to say, “The true fans sit up in the purples,” but I don’t know that the fans in the platinums are any less passionate than those who sit around me. Maybe just better off.

At Maple Leaf Gardens, our section was a community unto itself. We knew each other, asked, “How’s the family,” would note when a regular would bring a new date to the game and were worried when we didn’t see them for a few games. It may be a symptom of the cost of attending games, but there are very few familiar faces around me at the ACC. Many of the season ticket holders in my section sell off the majority of their games, select one or two for themselves and then show up for the playoffs. As a result, there is always a parade of new faces to the section. And the seats next to me always seem to have interesting occupants. On Thursday, two students from Scranton Pennsylvania watched their first NHL game in the seats to my left. A few weeks ago, a couple from Windsor got engaged in the seats. But there are often fans from much further away. Earlier in the season, two buddies from Germany were doing a hockey roadtrip, visiting Pittsburgh, Detroit, Toronto and Buffalo on their week’s vacation. They were having the time of their lives, and although I speak no German and they spoke little English, we communicated in that universal language called hockey. Last week, a couple from Sweden caught the Leafs game. They told me a great story. It seems everywhere they went in Toronto, they were asked where they were from. When they replied, “Sweden,” the person asking would usually then say, “Oh, then you must know Mats Sundin.” After replying, “Actually, no. We live nowhere near Bromma where Sundin is from” so many times, a lightbulb went off over their heads. The answer quickly changed to, “Actually, yes. We’re over here in Toronto to see him.” The revised response had provided them with a couple of free meals. Canada: what a country!

Last season, there was a really nice young boy and his Dad sitting next to me. Jordan Bodfield was all of 7 years old, wearing a Leaf sweater so long it practically swept the corridor and the sleeves were twice the length of his arms. He wouldn’t have been more excited if Santa Claus was on his way down the chimney. I heard father and son talk and realized they were from somewhere in England, so introduced myself and began to chat. It turns out several young players with the Sheffield Samurai minor hockey team follow the Toronto Maple Leafs like religion, so the fathers saved up both their money and vacation time and brought them to Toronto for a holiday. They saw Niagara Falls, went to the CN Tower, visited the Hockey Hall of Fame and, the best treat of all, had tickets for the Leafs game! The various fathers and sons were scattered throughout the arena, but I had Jordan and his father Lee sitting beside me. Jordan was able to eat ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy (usually all at once) without ever taking his eyes off the ice.

During the first intermission, I asked Jordan about his team. It turns out the Sheffield Samurai were something like 25 and 0, and had not surrendered a single goal all season. Jordan hadn’t scored yet, but he had come close many times. I thought this might be a little boy’s imagination talking, but his Dad said no, it was absolutely true.

Jordan told me about some of the British teams he liked. He loved the Sheffield Steelers, his hometown team, but also liked the Nottingham Panthers. As I recall, he had no use for the Manchester Storm and especially the Newcastle Jesters. “Who is your favourite player?” I asked, trying to prolong the conversation. “Tookah,” he replied with no hesitancy. I couldn’t make out what Jordan said through his thick Yorkshire accent. “Sorry Jordan, who is your favourite player?” “Tookah! I really like Tookah!!” he responded, much more demonstrably this time. “Oh yeah?” I said, thinking Tookah must be the star of the Sheffield Steelers or one of the other British teams. “Is he any good?” Jordan took his eyes off the ice surface for the first time since arriving at the Air Canada Centre, glared straight at me and through gritted teeth, punctuated his repeated answer. “I LIKE TOOKAH!!” Then he pointed down to the ice surface at number 16 for the Toronto Maple Leafs. (gulp) Oh my, did I feel foolish! All along, Jordan had been trying to tell me he was a fan of Darcy TUCKER.

Kevin Shea has been a Toronto Maple Leaf season ticket holder since 1985. A FAN FOR ALL SEASONS reflects my views on the Toronto Maple Leafs as observed from my seat in the purples.